Ms. W. 755

Finely prepared white parch.,
ff. II (modern parch.) + 71 + II (modern parch.),
modern pencil foliation,
210-213 × 135 (125 × 80) mm.,
the writing extends beyond the ruled space occasionally, 18 verses per page,
110 (+ 1st) 210 310
(+ 1st and 8th) 410 510 (+3rd) 610 (+ 5th and 11th) 76 (- 6th),
there are six full-page frontispieces (ff. 1v, 22v, 29v, 46v, 59v, 65v) on slightly heavier parch. folios
which have been tipped in later, a strip of parch. has been added at the bottom to lengthen them to the
size of the ms.,
quire signatures A-F are written by the scribe on the inside bottom at the end of the quire in the
same ink as the text, the signatures of quire 6 (letter F + arabic numbers 1-4) are evident,
drypoint ruled,
written by Bartolomeo Sanvito in an
Italic script, black ink with some flaking.
A ms. exceptionally rich in illumination and decoration: 6 full-page miniatures on the frontispieces,
the first two in Paduan style by the Master of
the Vatican Homer and the last four by the Florentine Monte di Giovanni del Fora, often representing a pax or
Renaissance mount for gems and objects of art, on rocky yellow-green flat shelves and against
shredded backgrounds of pale green (ff. 1v, 46v, 59v) or violet (ff. 22v, 29v, 65v).1 The frontispieces face the opening pages of the Triumphi which contain elaborate historiated initials and fullborder
decorations: f. 1v, an architectural structure in the form of a pax, of carved representations of
cornucopiae, urns, winged lions, garlands, acanthus and sphinxes, shaded in stippled violet, a
rectangular ochre picture frame (60 × 100 mm.) stands in the center of the structure with
an illumination of the blindfolded Cupid atop a burning chariot drawn by four white horses,
surrounded by lovers (identified are Julius Caesar with ensign of letters VVV, Cleopatra, Augustus,
Livia, Jupiter) and many smaller figures in the background, in a roundel above is depicted Jupiter
in the form of an eagle snatching Ganymede and in the lower roundel are Leda and the swan, the
overall coloring is pale ivory, gold, on a stippled violet landscape and sky; on the facing page, f.
2, on a yellow-green rock base, stands a beautiful border decoration of multi-colored trophies,
candelabra, torches and leafy sprays, a 6ߚline initial formed of green leafy laurel
branches, highlighted in gold, which are being held by the pensive Petrarch (half-length) dressed in
a rose tunic and crowned in laurel, at the bottom center two cherubs support a blank shield, the
text is superimposed on the border decoration, the rubrics and beginning verses are in
Sanvito’s characteristic epigraphic capitals, in gold, blue, red, green and purple; f. 22v, a monumental frontispiece similar to f.
1v, in pale yellow-green, details in gold and bronze, of pilasters acanthus, sphinxes,
rams’ heads, eagles, cornucopiae, urns and a cherub head, within a rectangular frame (67
× 98 mm.) there is an illumination of Laura standing near a jasper column, attended by
four maidens standing behind her carrying slender spears and green pennants charged with white
ermine (symbol of chastity), Laura wards off Cupid’s arrows with the shield of Medusa,
all are dressed in white and crowned with red flowers, Cupid hovers over a low-lying landscape, the
gulf of Naples to the left and in the background is Sulpicias’ temple and the
‘sovereign city’, in the upper roundel of the structure is Dido stabbing
herself and in a small rectangular frame in the lower section is Judith receiving
Holofernes’ head; f. 23, a monumental architectural frame supported by two gold sphinxes,
a green drape hangs from the monument with golden border depicting the rape of the Sabines, and in
the center lower section a woman (Laura?) is seated with one arm around a unicorn’s neck
and the other holding its horn, the text is superimposed on the frame often blocking out portions of
the frame, the text begins with a 5ߚline faceted gold initial (partially hidden) against
which leans the defeated Cupid whose bow and quiver are at his feet, multicolored Sanvito
epigraphic capitals for the rubrics and beginning text; f. 29v, an
elaborate gem-like frontispiece in gold, azure, blue, deep red, green and rose, a gold oval frame
with symmetrical embellishments above and below of gilt bronze acanthus, cornucopiae, palegreen
sprays of laurel, two cherubs above and below, two suspended skulls above and below on black
grounds, ending above in a face topped by a vase and below a frontal bust of a sphinx from which
emanates an acanthus base, in the oval frame two black oxen pull a black draped cart festooned with
white skulls and garlands, with atop a bronze coffin upon which stands a winged skeleton holding a
scythe, bodies lie below and around the cart, at far right an old man (Petrarch?) speaks with an old
woman, on a bleak desolate background; f. 30, a full-border monumental structure in the form of a
Renaissance doorway, the side red and the top blue panels are decorated with
gilt-bronze scrolls, acanthus capitals, molding, masks, and ornaments, the two pedestals are carved
in classical reliefs, below between the pedestals is a depiction of Laura on her deathbed,
surrounded by seven maidens dressed in white, gold, lavender, green and rose, and a countryside in
the background, the text begins with a 6ߚline faceted gold initial filled with birds,
skulls and a cherub seated on a swag holding a skull, against a drab partially rubbed background,
multicolored Sanvito epigraphic capitals; f. 46v, a pax shaped marble
sculpted frame similar to that of f. 1v, supported by two winged feet, and on top sides are two
cherubs holding burning torches, in the bottom roundel supported by two grotesque figures half human
and half serpent, is a seated Athena and in the top roundel a galloping horseman, in the central
gold picture frame (70 × 100 mm.) is a cart pulled by two gray elephants (facing forward
towards reader), atop the cart is a woman clad in armor holding a sword, a throng of people on
horseback and afoot surround the cart, with a background of Rome and countryside; f. 47, a
fullborder montage of multi-colored trophies, urns, gems, acanthus and laurel sprays, at bottom a
gold cameo flanked by two cherubs riding blue dolphins, depicting the flaying of Marsyas by Apollo,
on the top margin is a small cameo of a man’s face in profile (Silenus?), the text begins
with a 6ߚline faceted gold initial on a deep blue ground, three thin gold fillets form the
frame, inhabited by the profile busts of Athena and Hercules, multi-colored Sanvito
epigraphic capitals; f. 59v, a pax-shaped gold and shredded violet
frontispiece of acanthus, dolphins, urns, lion heads, cornucopiae and flowers, in the roundel below
is a young winged Father Time holding an hour-glass, and in the roundel above is Father Time before
the ruins of a city, within the central gold picture frame (65 × 100 mm.) is a beautiful
illumination of the winged Father Time atop a chariot pulled by two stags, a partially obliterated
hour-glass is at the front of the chariot, a procession accompanies passing by a triumphal arch, a
background of city and countryside; f. 60, a full-border decoration similar to f. 47, with at top
center a clock-face and on the bottom a gold oval cameo of the triumph of
Bacchus and Ariadne, the text begins with a 6ߚline faceted gold initial with a background
of rolling hills and sun on the horizon, on a deep blue rectangular frame with three gold fillets
and cross-hatching, with multi-colored Sanvito epigraphic capitals; f. 65v,
a frontispiece of an intricately carved gold frame (94 × 100 mm.) supported from below by
two flowing violet cherubs who end in tails of symmetrical acanthus, decorated below and on sides
with acanthus, and above are reliefs of two sphinxes facing a central urn and above them are two
blue cornucopiae, the illumination within the central frame is an hieratic vision of the Trinity in
a golden glory, cherubims, clouds, symbols of the evangelists, in rich hues of blue, white and gold;
f. 66, a trophy montage frame similar to f. 47, in the roundel above is the haloed figure of Christ
holding an open book and below the transfiguration (Christ flanked by two men), the text begins with
a 6ߚline faceted gold initial on a frame similar to f. 47, inhabited by Christ holding a
crystal orb, against a shaded carmine ground, multicolored Sanvito epigraphic
capitals.
The capitoli of the Triumphi begin with plain
2ߚline gold initials; rubrics are in gold capitals.
Italian
binding of ca. 1780-90, brown
calf, gold tooled with neo-classical and late-rococo motifs; in a previous binding the six
frontispieces may have been missing as is suggested in the labelling on the spine which reads
"Petrar[chae] Triump[hi] codex mss. cum
tabul[is] [et] clodi[s]".
f. 1, blank.ff. 2-70, Petrarch,
Triumphi
, title "Francisci Petrarcae poetae clarissimi triumphi de amore, Triumphus
I", inc. (Tr. cup. 1) "Nel tempo che rinova i miei
sospiri... V’ è (sic) Giove catenato innanzi al carro";
f. 6v, (Tr. cup. III) "Amoris capitulum II, Era
sì pien il cor di maraviglie ... E qual è il mel temprato con
l’assentio"; f. 12, (Tr. cup. II) "Amoris capitulum III,
Stancho già di mirar, non satio anchora ... E d’un
pomo beffata al fin Cidippe"; f. 17, (Tr. cup. IV) "Amoris capitulum
IIII, Poscia che mia fortuna in forza altrui ... Che’l
pie’ va innanzi e l’occhio torna a dietro"; f. 22, blank; f. 23 (Tr.
pud.) "Pudiciciae triumphus secundus, Quando ad un giogo et in
un tempo quivi ... Fra quali vidi Hyppolyto e Ioseppe"; ff. 28v-29, blank; f. 30, (fragm. Tr. mort.) "Mortis triumphus III, Quanti
già nella età matura et acra ... Morte bella parea nel suo bel viso"; f. 35v, (Tr. mort. II) "Mortis capitulum II,
La nocte che seguì l’horribil caso ... Tu starai in
terra senza me gran tempo"; f. 40v, (fragm. Tr. fam. I) "Mortis capitulum
III, Nel cor pien d’amarissima dolceza ... Poi alla fin
Artù re vidi e Carlo"; ff. 45v-46, blank; f. 47, (Tr. fam. I) "Famae
triumphus IIII, Da poi che morte triumphò nel volto
... Sì come advien a chi virtù relinque"; f. 50v, (Tr. fam. II)
"Famae capitulum II, Pien d’infinita et nobil
maraviglia ... Magnanimo gentil constante e largo"; f. 55, (Tr. fam. III)
"Famae capitulum III, Io non sapea da tal vista levarmi
... Qui lascio e più di lor non dico avante"; f. 59, blank; f. 60, (Tr.
temp.) "Temporis triumphus V, Ne l’aureo albergo con
l’aurora innanzi ... Così el tempo triompha i nomi e’l
mondo"; ff. 64v-65, blank; f. 66, (Tr. et.) "Divinitatis triumphus VI,
Da poi che sotto il ciel cosa non vidi ...", expl. "... Hor che fia dunque a rivederla in cielo. Finis".
(Characteristic Sanvito Greek letters in margin written in red ink which isolate aphoristic verses in the
Triumphi).ff. 70v-71v, blank.

Notes

1. I am indebted to Dorothy Miner for the description of the illumination in the ms.; see her article, "Since De Ricci - Western Illuminated Manuscripts Acquired since 1934: A Report in Two Parts", Part
11, Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, XXXII (1969), 99-118, with plates of major
illumination.